Policy - Faculty Academic Policies and Procedures
6. Ethics Approval
6.1 Students and Staff Research Projects
In general, all research involving human subjects requires the approval of an Ethics Committee. This includes Honours research projects and equivalent fourth year group projects. In these cases it is the responsibility of the School Honours coordinator or equivalent to ensure that ethics approval is obtained. The Honours coordinator or equivalent is also required to provide the Secretary of the Faculty Human Ethics Committee with a list of student projects and their ethics approval number for each project. This is required by 1 November each year.
Further information about the principles and procedures involved may be found in the brochure entitled Ethics Approval for Research with Human Subjects: Guidelines for Research and Teaching available from the Secretary of the Faculty Human Ethics Committee (FHEC), Faculty Office, Bundoora Campus. Some copies of the brochure have been circulated to Heads of Schools and Centres. Enquiries may be directed to the Secretary, FHEC - telephone (03) 9479 3573.
6.1.1 General Advice to Researchers
Please note that some applications require approval by the University's Human Ethics Committee (HEC) rather than the Faculty Human Ethics Committee.
University HEC approval may be required when the project involves:
- Risk of physical, mental, or social harm;
- Possible breaches of legislation (usually relating to access to personal records);
- Secondary use of existing human specimens;
- Funding from a granting body.
Projects which involve any of a) to d) above should be forwarded directly to the University Human Ethics Committee on the specific HEC application form which is available from the Secretary, University Human Ethics Committee, Research and Graduate Studies Office, La Trobe University, Victoria 3086, telephone (03) 9479 1443. If a researcher is in doubt, the application may be submitted to the FHEC for review. If appropriate, the secretary of FHEC will forward the application to the University HEC and notify the researcher.
Please consult the Secretary of FHEC concerning ethical approval for teaching/practical classes involving human participants as subjects.
6.1.2 Applications
The Guidelines and Application form can be found on the FO-Public fileserver (FHEC guide_app.doc) or are downloadable from the web at: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/health/ethics.html
Please read the guidelines carefully before completing the application form. Additional copies of the form may also be obtained from the Secretary, FHEC, Faculty Office, Bundoora - tel: (03) 9479 3574.
Researchers should ensure that the application:
- Is typed
- Uses layperson language
- Is complete (all questions answered/attachments forwarded as required).
All applications should be forwarded to:
The Secretary
FHEC
Faculty of Health Sciences
La Trobe University
Victoria, 3086
Correspondence from FHEC will be directed to the Senior Investigator.